Method and system for capturing patient feedback for a medical treatment

ABSTRACT

A method for capturing patient feedback for a medical treatment includes: receiving user instructions indicating a symptom being treated, a symptom score for the symptom being treated, and an indication of a beginning of a treatment session; receiving patient feedback comprising an updated symptom score for the symptom being treated and/or absence or presence of one or more of a plurality of attributes; storing the received patient feedback and a time in the treatment session at which the respective patient feedback was received; repeating the receiving of patient feedback and storage of data during the treatment session; and receiving a user instruction indicating an ending of the treatment session, wherein an alerting module alerts a user of the computing device for input of patient feedback after a predetermined period of time has elapsed following receipt of patient feedback without a subsequent receipt of patient feedback.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the capturing of patient feedback fora medical treatment, specifically the tracking of several patientattributes related to medical treatment in real-time following thetaking of medication, particularly as related to the specific batch of amedicine being taken.

BACKGROUND

As modern medicine continues to advance, more and more is learned aboutthe effect that various medicine has on the human body on both aphysical and mental level. However, even with everything that has beenlearned, there is still a lot that is unknown about medicine and how apatient may react. In many instances, each individual may have adifferent physiological reaction to a medication, such as in terms ofallergies, its physical effect on symptoms and other ailments, itseffect on the mental state of the patient, etc. In some cases, onepatient may react drastically different to a medicine than anotherpatient, which may result in difficulties when attempting to prescribe anew or alternative medication to a patient.

In some instances, a medical professional may prescribe a medicine to apatient and ask them to record effects of the medicine in a journal orother format for later review by the medical professional. To assistpatients in the recording of such information, some application programson computing devices have been developed to enable patients to recordfeedback. However, existing offerings amount to little more thanelectronic journals, where the effectiveness is determined solely on theparticipation of the patient. In other words, the application programsdo no more than provide an electronic system for entry of the data, andrelies on the patient to provide all of the data.

In addition, current offerings often provide very little capacity interms of collecting data about the medication itself. With somemedications, particularly cannabis and other naturally occurringpharmacological plants (and other materials), the physical and chemicalproperties can vary greatly from not only strain to strain, but batch tobatch due to often complex interplay between environmental and geneticfactors. Existing methods for assisting patients in capturing feedbackdo not go beyond capturing the name of a strain, without regards to anyproperties of that strain or of the particular batch of the medicine,which can have a significant effect on the patient's reaction to suchmedicine.

Thus, current offerings related to the capturing of patient feedback notonly fail to assist in the capturing of feedback during treatment, butalso fail in capturing data regarding the medication being used itself.As such, the current methods for capturing patient feedback amount tolittle more than electronic means for storing what has traditionallybeen performed by hand by patients. Thus, there is a need for atechnical solution to improve the capturing of patient feedback in realtime with respect to medical treatment, as well as the capturing ofdetailed properties of medicine for use in analyzing the effect ofcertain chemical properties on an individual patient as well asrecommending alternative or future treatment options to the patient.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a description of systems and methods forthe capturing of patient feedback for a medical treatment. In oneembodiment, a computing device is used by a patient that is specificallyconfigured to capture feedback from the patient with regard to a medicaltreatment in real-time. Feedback is captured in the form of levels withrespect to a particular symptom, as well as other attributes that areexperienced by the patient over the course of treatment, with promptsbeing made to the patient when feedback is not provided during apredetermined period of time during the treatment session, which resultsin a complete record of care in real-time during such a session. Suchmethods provide both a more comprehensive capturing of the effectivenessof a treatment for the patient themselves as well as medicalprofessionals, but also a beneficial accounting of the effect of varioustreatments and medicines on the patient to assist the patient in futuretreatment of symptoms and other ailments.

A method for capturing patient feedback for a medical treatmentincludes: receiving, by an input device interfaced with a computingdevice, a plurality of user instructions indicating at least a symptombeing treated, a symptom score for the symptom being treated, and anindication of a beginning of a treatment session; receiving, by theinput device interfaced with the computing device, patient feedbackcomprising at least one of: an updated symptom score for the symptombeing treated and absence or presence of one or more of a plurality ofattributes; executing, by a querying module of the computing device, aquery on a memory of the computing device to store, in the memory of thecomputing device, the received patient feedback and a time in thetreatment session at which the respective patient feedback was received;repeating the receiving of patient feedback and executing steps one ormore times during the treatment session; and receiving, by the inputdevice interfaced with the computing device, a user instructionindicating an ending of the treatment session, wherein an alertingmodule of the computing device is configured to alert a user of thecomputing device for input of patient feedback after a predeterminedperiod of time has elapsed following receipt of patient feedback withouta subsequent receipt of patient feedback.

A system for capturing patient feedback for a medical treatmentincludes: an alerting module of a computing device; an input deviceinterfaced with the computing device configured to receive a pluralityof user instructions indicating at least a symptom being treated, asymptom score for the symptom being treated, and an indication of abeginning of a treatment session, and receive patient feedbackcomprising at least one of: an updated symptom score for the symptombeing treated and absence or presence of one or more of a plurality ofattributes; and a querying module of the computing device configured toexecute a query on a memory of the computing device to store, in thememory of the computing device, the received patient feedback and a timein the treatment session at which the respective patient feedback wasreceived, wherein the receiving device and querying module areconfigured to repeat the receiving of patient feedback and execution ofqueries one or more times during the treatment session, the input deviceinterfaced with the computing device is further configured to receive auser instruction indicating an ending of the treatment session, and thealerting module of the computing device is configured to alert a user ofthe computing device for input of patient feedback after a predeterminedperiod of time has elapsed following receipt of patient feedback withouta subsequent receipt of patient feedback.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The scope of the present disclosure is best understood from thefollowing detailed description of exemplary embodiments when read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. Included in the drawings arethe following figures:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a high level system architecturefor the capturing of patient feedback for a medical treatment inaccordance with exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the computing device of thesystem of FIG. 1 for the capturing of patient feedback for a medicaltreatment and identification of future treatment options in accordancewith exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the processing server of thesystem of FIG. 1 for the capturing of patient feedback for a medicaltreatment and identification of future treatment options in accordancewith exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for the capturing ofpatient feedback in real-time for a medical treatment using thecomputing device of FIG. 2 in accordance with exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a graphical user interface element forthe representation of a symptom score related to the treatment of asymptom with a given medical treatment in accordance with exemplaryembodiments.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a graphical user interface for thedisplay of patient feedback captured in real-time as part of a medicaltreatment in accordance with exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for the identificationof a recommended treatment option for one or more symptoms based oncaptured patient feedback using the system of FIG. 1 in accordance withexemplary embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for thecapturing of patient feedback for a medical treatment in accordance withexemplary embodiments.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a computer system architecture inaccordance with exemplary embodiments.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description of exemplary embodiments areintended for illustration purposes only and are, therefore, not intendedto necessarily limit the scope of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION System for Capturing of Patient Feedback andRecommendations for Medical Treatment

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for the capturing of patient feedback inreal-time for a medical treatment and the identification of recommendedmedicines for use in medical treatment based on captured patientfeedback and associated medicinal properties.

The system 100 may include a computing device 102. The computing device102, discussed in more detail below, may be configured to capturepatient feedback with respect to medical treatment in real-time from apatient 106. The system 100 may also include a processing server 104.The processing server 104, discussed in more detail below, may beconfigured to identify recommendations with respect to medical treatmentfor the patient 106 based on previously captured feedback. As discussedherein, the computing device 102 may be used for the capturing ofpatient feedback while the processing server 104 may be used for theidentification of recommendations. However, as will be apparent topersons having skill in the relevant art, in some embodiments thefunctions performed by the computing device 102 and processing server104 may be performed by either and/or both devices, such as use of thecomputing device 102 to identify or assist in the identification ofrecommendations with respect to medical treatment based on capturedpatient feedback.

In the system 100, the patient 106 may use a medicine 108 for thetreatment of one or more symptoms. The medicine 108 may be any type ofmedication used in the treatment of symptoms by patients 106. In anexemplary embodiment, the medicine 108 may be cannabis that isprescribed to the patient 106 or otherwise obtained by the patient 106for use in treating symptoms. With respect to the capturing of patientfeedback, the patient 106 may utilize the computing device 102 to recordfeedback regarding use of the medicine 108 as part of a treatmentsession. The computing device 102, discussed in more detail below, maybe any type of computing device that is specifically configured toperform the functions discussed herein, such as a specificallyconfigured cellular phone, smart phone, smart watch, wearable computingdevice, implantable computing device, tablet computer, notebookcomputer, laptop computer, desktop computer, smart television, etc.

The patient 106 may use the computing device 102 and input instructionsinto the computing device 102 to begin the recording of feedback for atreatment session. As part of the initiation of the treatment session,the patient 106 may supply data that at least indicates one or moresymptoms being treated, a symptom score for each symptom, and anindication that the treatment session is starting. The symptom score maybe a value (e.g., a number on a scale of 1 to 10) representing thestrength of the symptom when the treatment session is beginning. Forinstance, the patient 106 may select “anxiety” as a symptom and providea symptom score of 8, indicating that the patient 106 is attempting totreat their anxiety, which they are feeling very strongly (e.g., at an 8out of a possible 10) as they begin their treatment session.

In some embodiments, the computing device 102 may be configured tocapture additional data before a treatment session begins. Such data mayinclude, for instance, data associated with the delivery method of themedicine 108. For example, the patient 106 may indicate the deliverymethod of the medicine 108 itself (e.g., drops, edibles, vaporization,inhalation, etc.) as well as an amount related to the delivery method.In cases where the medicine may be consumed throughout the treatmentsession (e.g., repeated inhalations), the computing device 102 may beconfigured provide an interface to the patient 106 to indicate suchconsumption during the course of the treatment session, for capturing bythe computing device 102. For example, if the patient 106 is smokingcannabis as the medicine 108 and delivery method, the patient 106 mayindicate throughout the treatment session when they inhale the cannabisand for how long, where the computing device 102 may capture such dataand record it as part of the treatment session. In such instances, thecomputing device 102 may capture the dosage and consumption along with atimestamp indicating the time at which the consumption occurred.

In some cases, the additional data may also include data associated withthe medicine 108 itself. Such data may include, for example, physical orchemical properties of the medicine 108, data associated with themanufacture of the medicine 108, etc. Physical or chemical properties ofthe medicine 108 may be dependent on the type of medicine. For instance,cannabis may have different physical and chemical properties for capturethan ibuprofen. Physical properties for cannabis may include, forexample, color, smell, texture, seed size, etc. Chemical properties forcannabis may include chemotype, percentages or portions oftetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, cannabinol, cannabinoids, terpenes,etc. In these cases, the properties may be manually entered into thecomputing device 102 by the patient 106, or received by the computingdevice 102 via one or more alternative methods.

For instance, the patient 106 may procure the medicine 108 from amedicine provider 110, such as a pharmacy, dispensary, physician, etc.In such instances, the computing device 102 may receive the data from anelectronic transmission from a computing system of the medicine provider110. For example, the computing device 102 may establish a near fieldcommunication channel with the medicine provider 110 and receive thedata from the medicine provider 110. In another example, the medicine108 may be packaged with a machine-readable code (e.g., a bar code,quick response (QR) code, etc.) that is encoded with the data. In yetanother example, the medicine 108 may be packaged with amachine-readable code that is encoded with a unique identifierassociated with the medicine 108 that may be used by the computingdevice 102 to obtain the data. For instance, the unique identifier maybe a batch identifier that identifies the batch from which the medicine108 was produced, which the computing device 102 may provide to a thirdparty system to obtain the physical and chemical property datatherefrom. In one such example, a medicine manufacturer 112 maymanufacture or otherwise produce the medicine 108, which may be providedto the medicine provider 110 for sale or distribution to the patient106. The computing device 102 may provide the batch identifier to themedicine manufacturer 112, either directly or via an intermediatesystem, such as the medicine provider 110 or processing server 104,where the medicine manufacturer 112 may provide the physical andchemical property data in response thereto.

In some cases, the physical data associated with the medicine 108 mayinclude data related to the storage, manufacturer, and/or distributionof the medicine 108. For instance, the data may further includeconditions related to the growing of the medicine 108 (e.g., geographiclocation, humidity, temperature, pressure, lighting type, lightingintensity, etc.), storage of the medicine 108 (e.g., light level,temperature, etc.), distribution of the medicine 108 (e.g., time and/ordate of growth, harvest, manufacture, departure from medicinemanufacturer 112, arrival at medicine provider 110, etc.), etc. Suchdata may be provided to or otherwise captured by the computing device102 and stored along with the patient feedback related to the treatmentsession. In cases where the medicine 108 may be used for more than onetreatment session, the computing device 102 may be configured to storethe data for the medicine 108 for later recall by the patient 106 foruse in future treatment sessions. In such cases, the patient 106 mayindicate, when starting a treatment session or ending a treatmentsession, if they run out of the medicine 108.

Once the data is captured and treatment session initiated, the computingdevice 102 may be configured to capture data from the patient 106 withregards to the treatment of their symptom and other attributes duringthe course of the treatment session. During the treatment session, thepatient 106 may, using a suitable input device of the computing device102, input patient feedback. The patient feedback may include at leastone of: an updated symptom score for one or more of the symptoms beingtreated, and the absence or presence of one or more of a plurality ofattributes related to the medical treatment. The attributes may berelated to physiological status of the patient 106 in addition to, oralternative to, the symptom(s) entered at the start of the treatmentsession, such as feelings, side effects, thoughts, etc. Attributes mayinclude, for example, tired, hungry, nauseous, sore, nervous, anxious,dry mouth, thirsty, itchy, headache, rash, etc. In some cases,attributes and symptoms may include similar, or the same, values (e.g.,the patient 106 may start a session to treat anxiety, but may alsoindicate anxiety as an attribute during a session treating a differentsymptom).

The computing device 102 may receive the patient feedback and record theupdated symptom score(s) and/or absence or presence of attributes aswell as the time at which the feedback was provided. For instance, thepatient 106 may indicate that they are feeling nauseous at ten minutesinto the treatment session, but then indicate that the nausea has goneaway at forty-five minutes into the treatment session, where thecomputing device 102 would record such events and their correspondingtimes. In some embodiments, the computing device 102 may provide asliding scale or other interface element for entering of the updatedsymptom score. For instance, the computing device 102 may provide aslider with a graphical indication of the symptom score, which, in somecases, may be a face or other graphical indicator that reflects thesymptom score. The example illustrated in FIG. 5 and discussed in moredetail below illustrates an exemplary graphical indicator, which is aface that dynamically changes based on the symptom score being selectedby the patient 106 during the treatment session.

In some cases, the feedback captured from the patient 106 may bemanually entered by the patient 106 (e.g., using an input deviceincluded in or interfaced with the computing device 102). In someinstances, feedback may also be automatically captured by the computingdevice 102 or another device in communication therewith. For example,the patient 106 may wear a device configured to capture the patient'sheart rate and other physiological functions, which may be regularlytransmitted to the computing device 102 and captured as part of thefeedback for the treatment session.

The computing device 102 may be configured to continue recording patientfeedback throughout the treatment session. As part of the recording ofpatient feedback, the computing device 102 may be configured to alertthe patient 106 when a predetermined period of time has passed withoutthe entry of feedback. For instance, the computing device 102 may recorda plurality of different feedback entries by the patient 106, but maydetect when the patient 106 has not provided feedback for a period oftime (e.g., ten minutes) and may alert the patient 106. The alert may beany type of alert that may be performed by the computing device 102,such as an audio tone, visual display, physical movement of thecomputing device 102 (e.g., vibration), etc. In some cases, thecomputing device 102 may be configured to enable the patient 106 toselect a preferred method of alert. The alert may indicate to thepatient 106 that additional feedback is requested, to ensure a propercapturing of data for the treatment session. In some cases, the alertmay include a prompt to the patient 106 with respect to one or more ofthe symptoms being treated, an attribute that is currently presentedbased on earlier feedback, or an attribute that may be presented basedon the medicine 108 (e.g., as discussed below). For instance, thecomputing device 102 may vibrate and display a prompt asking the patient106 if they are still nauseous or if their anxiety is still at a scoreof 8. Such a prompt may further encourage the patient 106 to continuallyprovide beneficial feedback through the treatment session.

In some cases, the predetermined period of time may be based on themedicine 108. For instance, the effects of a medicine 108 or propertiesthereof (e.g., delivery method, dosage, etc.) may be such that thepredetermined period of time may be adjusted due to the frequency ofchanges experienced by patients 106. For example, edible cannabis mayaffect patients 106 more slowly over a longer period of time thanvaporized cannabis, and thus the predetermined period of time may belonger when the medicine 108 is edible cannabis. Similarly, thecomputing device 102 may be configured to wait a different period oftime before issuing a first alert to the patient 106 when a newtreatment session is initiated. For instance, some medicines 108 mayhave a significant time to take effect, and thus the computing device102 may not prompt the patient 106 to begin to provide feedback untilsuch a time. For example, if the medicine 108 is edible cannabis, thecomputing device 102 may not alert the patient 106 to supply feedbackuntil at least forty-five minutes has elapsed since the treatmentsession began, and may then alert the patient 106 every twenty minutesduring instances where feedback has not been provided, whereas, if themedicine 108 is vaporized cannabis, the computing device 102 may issue afirst alert at thirty minutes since the start of the treatment sessionand then every twenty minutes during periods of no feedback beingprovided. As discussed above, the computing device 102 may only providealerts in cases where no feedback has been provided for thepredetermined period of time since the last feedback. For example, ifthe patient 106 enters feedback every five to ten minutes on their own,they may never be prompted by the computing device 102 during thetreatment session.

In some embodiments, the predetermined periods of time may not beinterrupted by automatically captured feedback. For example, if thepatient 106 wears a heart rate monitor that automatically provides heartrate data to the computing device 102 during the treatment session, thecomputing device 102 may still alert the patient 106 for feedback if apredetermined period of time has passed without the patient 106 havingmanually entered feedback, to ensure updating of data with respect tothe symptom(s) being treated and other attributes, in addition to theautomatically captured data. In some cases, interruption of thepredetermined period of time may be based on the symptom itself. Forinstance, if the symptom is high blood pressure and is automaticallymonitored by a device during the treatment session, the patient 106 maynot be alerted due to the automatic updating of the treatment of theprimary symptom during the session.

The computing device 102 may continue to capture feedback from thepatient 106 during the course of the treatment session, and alert thepatient 106 as necessary, until the patient 106 instructs the computingdevice 102 to end the treatment session. In some embodiments, thecomputing device 102 may be configured to automatically end a treatmentsession if a specified number of alerts have been issued without thereceipt of feedback from the patient 106. In some cases, the computingdevice 102 may be configured to capture additional feedback from theuser at the end of a session, such as a final symptom score for eachsymptom being treated, and overall rating for the treatment sessionand/or the medicine, notes provided by the patient 106 regarding thetreatment session, etc.

Once the treatment session is completed, the computing device 102 maystore the data for the treatment session in a memory thereof. In someembodiments, the computing device 102 may also report the session datato the processing server 104, where the session data may include thedata captured for the medicine 108, the symptom scores, presence andabsence of attributes, and timestamps related thereto. In cases wherethe computing device 102 may report to the processing server 104, thereporting data may not include any personally identifiable informationwithout express permission being granted by the patient 106, but may, insome instances, still include information unique to the computing device102 and/or patient 106 that may be used to aggregate treatment sessionsfor the patient 106. For example, each patient 106 may be assigned aunique identification number that may be attached to their treatmentsessions, but which may not be personally identifiable to the actualpatient 106 (e.g., an identification number may be unique to aparticular patient while revealing no information about the patientthemselves).

In some embodiments, the computing device 102 and/or processing server104 may be configured to report treatment sessions to a medicalprofessional. For example, the patient 106 may be prescribed themedicine 108 by their physician, who may request that the patient 106log their consumption of the medicine 108 using the computing device102. In such an example, the computing device 102 may provide thesession data to a suitable computing system, either directly or via theprocessing server 104. For instance, the computing device 102 mayelectronically transmit the session data to a health care provider forwhich the physician works. In these instances, the session data may beaccompanied by a unique identifier associated with the patient 106 thatmay not be personally identifiable to the computing device 102 orprocessing server 104, but may be used by the medical professional toidentify the patient 106 with whom the session is associated. Themedical professional may then use the session data in the providing ofmedical care to the patient 106. In some such embodiments, the computingdevice 102 may be configured to assist the patient 106 in following atreatment plan set by their medical professional. For instance, themedical professional may set a treatment plan involving consumption ofthe medicine 108 at specific times and the capturing of feedback relatedthereto. In such an instance, the computing device 102 may alert thepatient 106 when a treatment session is to be conducted as per theprofessional's treatment plan.

In some cases, the computing device 102 may be configured to display asummary or report of a treatment session to the patient 106 oncecompleted. The summary or report may include, for instance, a listing ofthe feedback provided by the patient 106 at the respective times duringthe treatment session, the data captured for the medicine 108, thefeedback provided by the patient 106 at the end of the session, etc. Insome cases, the computing device 102 may be configured to provide agraphical representation of the presence and absence of attributesduring the treatment session as indicated in the supplied feedback, suchas illustrated in FIG. 6 and discussed in more detail below. In somecases, the computing device 102 may be configured to provide aninterface to the patient 106 to compare the treatment session with othersessions, such as sessions using the same batch of medicine 108, otherbatches of the medicine 108, sessions treating the same symptom(s), etc.

The methods and systems discussed herein may thus accomplish a moreaccurate capturing of the feedback of a patient 106 for a medicaltreatment than available using traditional methods. The use of alertsand predetermined periods of time by the computing device 102 can ensurethat a sufficient amount of feedback is provided by the patient 106.Furthermore, the capture of such data in real-time may provide for amore comprehensive accounting of the effect of a medicine 108 on thepatient 106, which may more greatly increase the quality of care thatmay be provided to the patient 106.

In some embodiments, the computing device 102 and/or processing server104 may be configured to identify recommendations for medicines 108 topatients 106 based on captured feedback. In such embodiments, thepatient 106 may indicate that they have a symptom that they would liketo be treated, such as by entering such an indication into the computingdevice 102 or communicating the indication to the medicine provider 110or an employee thereof. The data may then be provided to the processingserver 104 or computing device 102, as applicable, which may identify arecommended medicine 108 to treat the patient's symptom. In someembodiments, the recommendation may be based on feedback captureddirectly from the patient 106. In other embodiments, the recommendationmay also be based on feedback captured from other patients 106. Forinstance, the processing server 104 may receive session data fortreatment sessions for a plurality of different patients 106. Theprocessing server 104 may identify the effectiveness of differentmedicines 108 on different symptoms based on the symptom scores providedby patients 106 during the treatment sessions for the respectivemedicines 108. When the patient 106 requests treatment of a specificsymptom, the processing server 104 may identify a medicine 108 mosteffective for that symptom across the treatment sessions, and may returnthat medicine 108 to the computing device 102 or medicine provider 110,as applicable.

In some embodiments, recommendations may also, or alternatively, bebased on the physical or chemical properties of medicine 108. Forexample, if the medicine 108 is cannabis, the physical and/or chemicalproperties may change greatly from batch to batch, or even from strainto strain. In such cases, the properties may be used to identify amedicine 108 for recommending to the patient 106 for a particularsymptom. For example, the patient 106 may use a particular batch ofcannabis to treat anxiety, which they find to be really effective forthem individually, but may have had less success with other batches ofcannabis for the same or different strains. The patient 106 may wish tocontinue to treat their anxiety once they run out of their particularbatch, which may be out of stock or no longer available at the medicineprovider 110. The computing device 102 and/or processing server 104 mayidentify the properties of that particular batch and may identifyanother batch that mostly closely matches the particular batch in termsof the properties. In some cases, the other batch may be a batch offeredby a medicine provider 110 identified by the patient 106. For instance,the patient 106 may request a recommendation among medicines 108currently available at a specific medicine provider 110 or by anymedicine provider 110 within a specific geographic area. As a result,the patient 106 may be able to procure medicine 108 that closely matchesa medicine 108 they may have run out of that they have found to beuseful for a particular symptom. The use of the physical and/or chemicalproperties of a particular medicine 108 to identify other medicines 108may be beneficial for substances that may greatly vary across strainsand batches, such as cannabis, and in cases where different patients 106may react differently to medicines 108. For instance, one patient 106may find a particular batch of cannabis treats their anxiety very well,while another patient 106 may experience little benefit from the samebatch on their own anxiety.

In some embodiments, the processing server 104 and/or computing device102 may utilize a combination of feedback gathered from a specificpatient 106 as well as feedback gathered from other patients 106 for theidentification of recommendations for a medicine 108. In such anembodiment, the patient 106 may wish to treat a symptom for which thepatient 106 has not yet provided feedback, or has not yet found amedicine 108 that is sufficient at treating that particular symptom. Inthese embodiments, the processing server 104 (e.g., or computing device102, as applicable), may identify other patients 106 that have hadsimilar experiences with medicines 108 for which feedback has beencaptured from the patient 106 seeking the recommendation. For instance,as each patient 106 may react differently to medicines 108, theprocessing server 104 may identify only those other patients 106 thatreact similar to the patient 106 seeking the recommendation based onfeedback captured therefrom. For example, the patient 106 seeking therecommendation may find a first medicine 108 useful for treating backpain, a second medicine 108 useful for treating nerve pain, and a thirdmedicine 108 useful for treating insomnia. The processing server 104 mayidentify other patients 106 that have used the same medicines 108 thathave also have the same success rate for the associated symptoms to lookat their treatment history, rather than look at all patients 106generally, which may exclude patients 106 that react to medicine 108differently than the patient 106 seeking the recommendation. Theprocessing server 104 may then identify a medicine 108 to recommend tothe patient 106 based on the treatment history for the other patients106 that were identified as being similar. As a result, the processingserver 104 may identify a medicine 108 that is more likely to assist thepatient 106 in treating the desired symptom as it had a beneficialeffect on other patients 106 that react similar to medication as thepatient 106. In cases where the specific medicine 108 may not beavailable at the preferred medicine provider 110, the processing server104 may identify an alternative medicine 108 based on the propertiesthereof, as discussed above. In some embodiments, the computing device102 and/or processing server 104 may be configured to gather demographicdata and other data associated with patients 106 that agree to providesuch data, which may be further used to identify similar patients to apatient 106 for the identification of medicine recommendations.

In addition to providing recommendations to patients 106, the processingserver 104 may be configured to provide recommendations to medicineproviders 110 and medicine manufacturers 112 regarding medicines 108 tocarry and produce. For instance, the processing server 104 may receive asignificant number of requests from patients 106 in geographic proximityto the medicine provider 110 that are requesting medicines 108 fortreating particular symptoms. The processing server 104 may be able toprovide this information to the medicine provider 110, to encourage themedicine provider 110 to carry such medicine 108. In some cases, theprocessing server 104 may be able to recommend specific medicines 108 tocarry, such as based on the feedback data captured from treatmentsessions as submitted by the patients 106. In some instances, theprocessing server 104 may recommend specific physical and/or chemicalproperties related to such symptoms, which may be used by the medicineprovider 110 in obtaining medicine 108 to carry.

The processing server 104 may be configured to provide similar data tomedicine manufacturers 112. For instance, the processing server 104 mayidentify physical and/or chemical properties that are associated withtreatment of particular symptoms, and may make the information availableto medicine manufacturers 112, which may use the properties (e.g.,strain information, growth information, storage information,transportation information, etc.) when producing new medicine 108 thatmay be used to specifically target certain symptoms. For instance, amedicine manufacturer may have a strain that they may grow in a firstspecific manner that results in stronger effectiveness at treating aspecific symptom while also growing a batch of the train in a secondspecific manner to target a different symptom. Thus, the processingserver 104 may be configured to provide useful recommendations tomedicine providers 110 and medicine manufacturers 112 in addition topatients 106.

Computing Device

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of a computing device 102 in the system100. It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant artthat the embodiment of the computing device 102 illustrated in FIG. 2 isprovided as illustration only and may not be exhaustive to all possibleconfigurations of the computing device 102 suitable for performing thefunctions as discussed herein. For example, the computer system 900illustrated in FIG. 9 and discussed in more detail below may be asuitable configuration of the computing device 102.

The computing device 102 may include a receiving device 202. Thereceiving device 202 may be configured to receive data over one or morenetworks via one or more network protocols. In some instances, thereceiving device 202 may be configured to receive data from processingservers 104, medicine providers 110, medicine manufacturers 112, andother systems and entities via one or more communication methods, suchas radio frequency, local area networks, wireless area networks,cellular communication networks, Bluetooth, the Internet, etc. In someembodiments, the receiving device 202 may be comprised of multipledevices, such as different receiving devices for receiving data overdifferent networks, such as a first receiving device for receiving dataover a local area network and a second receiving device for receivingdata via the Internet. The receiving device 202 may receiveelectronically transmitted data signals, where data may be superimposedor otherwise encoded on the data signal and decoded, parsed, read, orotherwise obtained via receipt of the data signal by the receivingdevice 202. In some instances, the receiving device 202 may include aparsing module for parsing the received data signal to obtain the datasuperimposed thereon. For example, the receiving device 202 may includea parser program configured to receive and transform the received datasignal into usable input for the functions performed by the processingdevice to carry out the methods and systems described herein.

The receiving device 202 may be configured to receive data signalselectronically transmitted by processing servers 104, medicine providers110, medicine manufacturers 112, or other entities that may besuperimposed or otherwise encoded with batch data related to a medicine108. Batch data may include batch identifiers and/or any propertiesassociated with the medicine 108, such as physical or chemicalproperties or the particular batch of medicine 108. The receiving device202 may also be configured to receive data signals electronicallytransmitted by processing servers 104 that may be superimposed orotherwise encoded with recommendation data, which may recommend one ormore medicines 108 and symptoms for treatment thereby. In some cases,the recommendation data may also include data associated with obtainingthe medicine(s) 108, such as medicine provider(s) 110 that carry themedicine(s) 108 and geographic locations thereof.

The computing device 102 may also include a communication module 204.The communication module 204 may be configured to transmit data betweenmodules, engines, databases, memories, and other components of thecomputing device 102 for use in performing the functions discussedherein. The communication module 204 may be comprised of one or morecommunication types and utilize various communication methods forcommunications within a computing device. For example, the communicationmodule 204 may be comprised of a bus, contact pin connectors, wires,etc. In some embodiments, the communication module 204 may also beconfigured to communicate between internal components of the computingdevice 102 and external components of the computing device 102, such asexternally connected databases, display devices, input devices, etc. Thecomputing device 102 may also include a processing device. Theprocessing device may be configured to perform the functions of thecomputing device 102 discussed herein as will be apparent to personshaving skill in the relevant art. In some embodiments, the processingdevice may include and/or be comprised of a plurality of engines and/ormodules specially configured to perform one or more functions of theprocessing device, such as a querying module 214, alerting module 216,analytical module 218, etc. As used herein, the term “module” may besoftware or hardware particularly programmed to receive an input,perform one or more processes using the input, and provides an output.The input, output, and processes performed by various modules will beapparent to one skilled in the art based upon the present disclosure.

The computing device 102 may include a memory 222. The memory 222 may beconfigured to store data for use by the computing device 102 inperforming the functions discussed herein, such as public and privatekeys, symmetric keys, etc. The memory 222 may be configured to storedata using suitable data formatting methods and schema and may be anysuitable type of memory, such as read-only memory, random access memory,etc. The memory 222 may include, for example, encryption keys andalgorithms, communication protocols and standards, data formattingstandards and protocols, program code for modules and applicationprograms of the processing device, and other data that may be suitablefor use by the computing device 102 in the performance of the functionsdisclosed herein as will be apparent to persons having skill in therelevant art. In some embodiments, the memory 222 may be comprised of ormay otherwise include a relational database that utilizes structuredquery language for the storage, identification, modifying, updating,accessing, etc. of structured data sets stored therein.

The memory 222 may be configured to store medicine data associated withmedicines 108 submitted by the patient 106 or otherwise obtained by thecomputing device 102 (e.g., from medicine providers 110, etc.). Themedicine data may include physical and chemical properties of therelated medicine 108, as well as inventory information (e.g., currentstock of the medicine 108 by the patient 106), provider information(e.g., where the medicine 108 was obtained, where it is currentlycarried, etc.), etc. The memory 222 may also be configured to storetreatment session data related to treatment sessions captured by thecomputing device 102 using the methods discussed herein. In someinstances, the memory 222 may also be configured to store data relatedto the treatment of symptoms for the patient 106, such as physicaland/or chemical properties found to be effective at treating a symptom,for use in identifying future medicines 108 for treatment of thesymptom.

The computing device 102 may also include or be otherwise interfacedwith one or more input devices 208. The input devices 208 may beinternal to the computing device 102 or external to the computing device102 and connected thereto via one or more connections (e.g., wired orwireless) for the transmission of data to and/or from. The input devices208 may be configured to receive input from a user of the computingdevice 102, which may be provided to another module or engine of thecomputing device 102 (e.g., via the communication module 204) forprocessing accordingly. Input devices 208 may include any type of inputdevice suitable for receiving input for the performing of the functionsdiscussed herein, such as a keyboard, mouse, click wheel, scroll wheel,microphone, touch screen, track pad, camera, optical imager, etc. Theinput device 208 may be configured to, for example, receive input ofinstructions by the patient 106 related to the beginning and ending oftreatment sessions, patient feedback including symptom scores and thepresence or absence of attributes, physical or chemical properties ofmedicine 108, medicine inventory information, etc. The input device 208may also be configured to read machine-readable codes encoded with batchidentifiers and/or properties of medicine 108. In some embodiments,input devices 208 may be configured to automatically capturephysiological data of the patient 106 as part of the capturing ofpatient feedback.

The computing device 102 may also include or be otherwise interfacedwith a display device 210. The display device 210 may be internal to thecomputing device 102 or external to the computing device 102 andconnected thereto via one or more connections (e.g., wired or wireless)for the transmission of data to and/or from. The display device 210 maybe configured to display data to a user of the computing device 102. Thedisplay device 210 may be any type of display suitable for displayingdata as part of the functions discussed herein, such as a liquid crystaldisplay, light emitting diode display, thin film transistor display,capacitive touch display, cathode ray tube display, light projectiondisplay, etc. In some instances, the computing device 102 may includemultiple display devices 210. The display device 210 may be configuredto, for example, display an interface to the patient 106 as part of thecapturing of feedback for treatment sessions, managing of medicines 108,viewing of reports on treatment sessions, the input of and display ofdata related to recommendations for medicines 108, etc. FIGS. 4 and 5illustrate example interface elements that may be displayed by thedisplay device 210 as part of the functions discussed herein.

The computing device 102 may include a querying module 214. The queryingmodule 214 may be configured to execute queries on databases to identifyinformation. The querying module 214 may receive one or more data valuesor query strings, and may execute a query string based thereon on anindicated database, such as the memory 206, to identify informationstored therein. The querying module 214 may then output the identifiedinformation to an appropriate engine or module of the computing device102 as necessary. The querying module 214 may, for example, execute aquery on the memory 206 to identify treatment session data associatedwith the patient 106 for use in identifying recommendations of medicine108 for the treatment of a symptom specified by the patient 106 (e.g.,using the input device 208).

The computing device 102 may also include an alerting module 216. Thealerting module 216 may be configured to issue alerts to the patient 106as a user of the computing device 102 for the entry of patient feedbackfor a treatment session. The alerting module 216 may keep track of timesat which patient feedback is entered for a treatment session and, when apredetermined period of time elapses since the last entry of patientfeedback, may issue an alert. The alerting module 216 may be configuredto issue an alert using any suitable function of the computing device102, such as a an audio or visual display, controlled movement of thecomputing device 102 itself, transmission to another device interfacedwith the computing device 102 (e.g., a wearable device worn by thepatient 106), etc. In some cases, the alerting module 216 may includeprompts in the alert, which may be based on currently captured treatmentsession data (e.g., selected symptoms, present attributes, etc.), tocapture feedback from the patient 106. In some instances, thepredetermined period of time for alerts, as well as a period of time forissuing of a first alert, may be based on the medicine 108 beingconsumed and the properties thereof.

The computing device 102 may also include an analytical module 218. Theanalytical module 218 may be configured to analyze treatment sessiondata, medicine 108 properties, and other data for the identification ofrecommendations to a patient 106. The analytical module 218 may, forexample, analyze session data stored in the memory 222 of the computingdevice 102 to identify medicine 108 that is effective at treating aspecific symptom (e.g., as entered by the patient 106 using the inputdevice 208), and may also analyze the properties of the identifiedmedicine 108 for use in identifying other medicines 108 with the same orsimilar properties for recommending to the patient 106. The analyticalmodule 218 may also be configured to analyze data associated withtreatment sessions and medicines 108 for recommendations related totreatment for the patient 106, such as by recommending specific deliverymethods, consumption rates, dosages, times of day to use medicine 108for a particular symptom, etc., which may be identified based onhistorical treatment session data captured by the computing device 102.

The computing device 102 may also include a transmitting device 220. Thetransmitting device 220 may be configured to transmit data over one ormore networks via one or more network protocols. In some instances, thetransmitting device 220 may be configured to transmit data to processingservers 104, medicine providers 110, medicine manufacturers 112, andother entities via one or more communication methods, local areanetworks, wireless area networks, cellular communication, Bluetooth,radio frequency, the Internet, etc. In some embodiments, thetransmitting device 220 may be comprised of multiple devices, such asdifferent transmitting devices for transmitting data over differentnetworks, such as a first transmitting device for transmitting data overa local area network and a second transmitting device for transmittingdata via the Internet. The transmitting device 220 may electronicallytransmit data signals that have data superimposed that may be parsed bya receiving computing device. In some instances, the transmitting device220 may include one or more modules for superimposing, encoding, orotherwise formatting data into data signals suitable for transmission.

The transmitting device 220 may be configured to electronically transmitdata signals to processing servers 104 that may be superimposed orotherwise encoded with session data related to treatment sessionscaptured by the computing device 102. In some cases, the session datamay include a unique identifier associated with the patient 106 but maynot include any personally identifiable information unless expresslyauthorized by the patient 106. The transmitting device 220 may also beconfigured to electronically transmit requests for recommendation toprocessing servers 104, which may include symptoms to be treated,desired physical and/or chemical properties, session data, and any otherdata that may be used as discussed herein. The transmitting device 220may also be configured to electronically transmit data signals tomedicine providers 110, medicine manufacturers 112, and processingservers 104 that are superimposed or otherwise encoded with a batchidentifier, as a request for the properties of a medicine 108 associatedtherewith.

Processing Server

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a processing server 104 in thesystem 100. It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevantart that the embodiment of the processing server 104 illustrated in FIG.3 is provided as illustration only and may not be exhaustive to allpossible configurations of the processing server 104 suitable forperforming the functions as discussed herein. For example, the computersystem 900 illustrated in FIG. 9 and discussed in more detail below maybe a suitable configuration of the processing server 104.

The processing server 104 may include a receiving device 302. Thereceiving device 202 may be configured to receive data over one or morenetworks via one or more network protocols. In some instances, thereceiving device 302 may be configured to receive data from computingdevices 102, medicine providers 110, medicine manufacturers 112, andother systems and entities via one or more communication methods, suchas radio frequency, local area networks, wireless area networks,cellular communication networks, Bluetooth, the Internet, etc. In someembodiments, the receiving device 302 may be comprised of multipledevices, such as different receiving devices for receiving data overdifferent networks, such as a first receiving device for receiving dataover a local area network and a second receiving device for receivingdata via the Internet. The receiving device 302 may receiveelectronically transmitted data signals, where data may be superimposedor otherwise encoded on the data signal and decoded, parsed, read, orotherwise obtained via receipt of the data signal by the receivingdevice 302. In some instances, the receiving device 302 may include aparsing module for parsing the received data signal to obtain the datasuperimposed thereon. For example, the receiving device 302 may includea parser program configured to receive and transform the received datasignal into usable input for the functions performed by the processingdevice to carry out the methods and systems described herein.

The receiving device 302 may be configured to receive data signalselectronically transmitted by computing devices 102, which may besuperimposed or otherwise encoded with treatment session data, requestsfor recommendations, medicine property data, and other data as discussedherein. The receiving device 302 may also be configured to receive datasignals electronically transmitted by medicine providers 110 andmedicine manufacturers 112 that are superimposed or otherwise encodedwith medicine property data and associated batch identifiers, and/or maybe superimposed or otherwise encoded with recommendation requests, whichmay request recommendations for medicines 108 to carry or manufacture,medicine properties to carry or manufacture, or other data associatedtherewith.

The processing server 104 may also include a communication module 304.The communication module 304 may be configured to transmit data betweenmodules, engines, databases, memories, and other components of theprocessing server 104 for use in performing the functions discussedherein. The communication module 304 may be comprised of one or morecommunication types and utilize various communication methods forcommunications within a computing device. For example, the communicationmodule 304 may be comprised of a bus, contact pin connectors, wires,etc. In some embodiments, the communication module 304 may also beconfigured to communicate between internal components of the processingserver 104 and external components of the processing server 104, such asexternally connected databases, display devices, input devices, etc. Theprocessing server 104 may also include a processing device. Theprocessing device may be configured to perform the functions of theprocessing server 104 discussed herein as will be apparent to personshaving skill in the relevant art. In some embodiments, the processingdevice may include and/or be comprised of a plurality of engines and/ormodules specially configured to perform one or more functions of theprocessing device, such as a querying module 314, encryption module 316,analytical module 318, etc. As used herein, the term “module” may besoftware or hardware particularly programmed to receive an input,perform one or more processes using the input, and provides an output.The input, output, and processes performed by various modules will beapparent to one skilled in the art based upon the present disclosure.

The processing server 104 may include an account database 306. Theaccount database 306 may be configured to store a plurality of accountprofiles 308 using a suitable data storage format and schema. Theaccount database 306 may be a relational database that utilizesstructured query language for the storage, identification, modifying,updating, accessing, etc. of structured data sets stored therein. Eachaccount profile 308 may be a structured data set configured to storedata related to a patient 106. The account profile 308 may include aunique identifier associated with the patient 106, such as anidentification number, but may not include any personally identifiableinformation unless expressly authorized by the patient 106. The accountprofile 308 may also include treatment session data captured by acomputing device 102 associated with the related patient 106, and anyadditional data identified from analysis thereof as discussed herein. Ininstances where a medical professional may request patient treatmentdata, the account profile 308 related to such a patient 106 may includedata for use in providing treatment session data to the medicalprofessional, such as an identification value, medicine 108 for whichthe session data is requested, communication data for delivering thesession data, etc.

The processing server 104 may also include a medicine database 310. Themedicine database 310 may be configured to store a plurality of medicineprofiles 312 using a suitable data storage format and schema. Themedicine database 310 may be a relational database that utilizesstructured query language for the storage, identification, modifying,updating, accessing, etc. of structured data sets stored therein. Eachmedicine profile 312 may be a structured data set configured to storedata related to a medicine 108. The medicine profile 312 may include abatch identifier associated with the related medicine 108 or otherinformation useful in identification thereof, property data captured forthe medicine 108, and any other data associated therewith that may beidentified using the methods and systems discussed herein. For instance,the medicine profile 312 for a medicine 108 may include data related toits effectiveness in treating symptoms based on session data captured bycomputing devices 102 and provided to the processing server 104. In somecases, a medicine profile 312 may also include data related to medicinemanufacturers 112 that manufacture the medicine 108 and medicineproviders 110 that carry the medicine 108 for purchase.

The processing server 104 may include a querying module 314. Thequerying module 314 may be configured to execute queries on databases toidentify information. The querying module 314 may receive one or moredata values or query strings, and may execute a query string basedthereon on an indicated database, such as the account database 306, toidentify information stored therein. The querying module 314 may thenoutput the identified information to an appropriate engine or module ofthe processing server 104 as necessary. The querying module 314 may, forexample, execute a query on the account database 306 to insert sessiondata for a new session into an account profile 308 using the uniqueidentifier accompanying the session data, execute a query on themedicine database 310 to identify a medicine profile 312 and propertydata included therein to provide to a computing device 102, executequeries on the account database 306 to identify account profiles 308that include session data that may be useful in identification arecommendation, etc.

The processing server 104 may also include an encryption module 316. Theencryption module 316 may be configured to encrypt data as part of thefunctions of the processing server 104 as discussed herein. Theencryption module 316 may be configured to encrypt data using one ormore encryption techniques using any suitable method of encryption, suchas via encryption keys, hashes, salts, ciphers, etc. The encryptionmodule 316 may be configured to encrypt data that is electronicallytransmitted from the processing server 104 or that is stored therein toincrease the security of such data. For instance, any data provided tomedical professionals may be encrypted prior to transmission to protectpatient privacy.

The processing server 104 may also include an analytical module 318. Theanalytical module 318 may be configured to analyze treatment sessiondata, medicine 108 properties, and other data for the identification ofrecommendations to patients 106, medicine providers 110, medicinemanufacturers 112, etc. The analytical module 318 may, for example,analyze session data stored in account profiles 308 of the accountdatabase 306 to identify medicine 108 that is effective at treating aspecific symptom (e.g., as requested by a patient 106, medicine provider110, etc.), and may also analyze the properties of the identifiedmedicine 108 for use in identifying other medicines 108 with the same orsimilar properties for recommending to patients 106. The analyticalmodule 318 may also be configured to analyze data associated withtreatment sessions and medicines 108 for recommendations related totreatment for patients 106, such as by recommending specific deliverymethods, consumption rates, dosages, times of day to use medicine 108for a particular symptom, etc., which may be identified based onhistorical treatment session data stored in the account profile 308associated with the specific patient 106.

The processing server 104 may also include a transmitting device 320.The transmitting device 320 may be configured to transmit data over oneor more networks via one or more network protocols. In some instances,the transmitting device 320 may be configured to transmit data tocomputing devices 102, medicine providers 110, medicine manufacturers112, and other entities via one or more communication methods, localarea networks, wireless area networks, cellular communication,Bluetooth, radio frequency, the Internet, etc. In some embodiments, thetransmitting device 320 may be comprised of multiple devices, such asdifferent transmitting devices for transmitting data over differentnetworks, such as a first transmitting device for transmitting data overa local area network and a second transmitting device for transmittingdata via the Internet. The transmitting device 320 may electronicallytransmit data signals that have data superimposed that may be parsed bya receiving computing device. In some instances, the transmitting device320 may include one or more modules for superimposing, encoding, orotherwise formatting data into data signals suitable for transmission.

The transmitting device 320 may be configured to electronically transmitdata signals to computing devices 102, medicine providers 110, medicinemanufacturers 112, or other entities that may be superimposed orotherwise encoded with recommendations related to the treatment ofsymptoms, which may include medicine 108 recommendations, medicineproperties, treatment methods, etc. The transmitting device 320 may alsobe configured to electronically transmit data signals to third partyentities related to medical professionals that are superimposed orotherwise encoded with session data, such as in cases where a patient106 is to report their treatment sessions to a health care professional.In such embodiments, such data may be encrypted (e.g., via theencryption module 316) prior to transmission.

The processing server 104 may include a memory 322. The memory 322 maybe configured to store data for use by the processing server 104 inperforming the functions discussed herein, such as public and privatekeys, symmetric keys, etc. The memory 322 may be configured to storedata using suitable data formatting methods and schema and may be anysuitable type of memory, such as read-only memory, random access memory,etc. The memory 322 may include, for example, encryption keys andalgorithms, communication protocols and standards, data formattingstandards and protocols, program code for modules and applicationprograms of the processing device, and other data that may be suitablefor use by the processing server 104 in the performance of the functionsdisclosed herein as will be apparent to persons having skill in therelevant art. In some embodiments, the memory 322 may be comprised of ormay otherwise include a relational database that utilizes structuredquery language for the storage, identification, modifying, updating,accessing, etc. of structured data sets stored therein.

Process for Capturing of Patient Feedback for a Treatment Session

FIG. 4 illustrates a process 400 for the capturing of patient feedbackin real-time during a treatment session for a medical treatment usingthe computing device 102 of the system 100.

In step 402, the input device 208 of the computing device 102 mayreceive session information as input by the patient 106 and any othersources, which may include at least information identifying the medicine108 being consumed, one or more symptoms being treated, the method ofingestion, and an initial symptom score for each symptom. In some cases,step 402 may include the receipt of property data for the medicine 108,such as from the medicine provider 110, by the reading and decoding of amachine-readable code displayed on the medicine 108, etc. Step 402 mayalso include the receipt of non-session information, which may be usedby the computing device 102 or provided with the session results, whichmay include any data not specific to the treatment session, such aspatient data (e.g., age, weight, demographics, etc.), historicaltreatment data, inventory data, etc. In step 404, the treatment sessionmay continue with the input device 208 awaiting the entry of any newinput from the patient 106 as part of the treatment session.

In step 406, the computing device 102 may determine if any new inputshave been received from the patient 106 via the input device 208. If noinputs have been received (e.g., the treatment session has continuedwithout new feedback submitted by the patient 106), then, in step 408,the computing device 102 may determine if the predetermined period oftime for supplying feedback has expired. In some instances, thepredetermined period of time may be based on the medicine 108 being usedin the treatment session. If the predetermined period of time has notyet expired, then the process 400 may return to step 404 and continue towait for additional inputs to be received as the treatment sessionprogresses.

If, in step 408, the computing device 102 determines that thepredetermined period of time has expired, then, in step 412, thealerting module 216 of the computing device 102 may issue an alert tothe patient 106 that includes a prompt (e.g., displayed via the displaydevice 210 of the computing device 102) prompting the patient 106 toupdate the attributes (e.g., including the symptom score(s)) for theirtreatment session. The patient 106 may be prompted and then supply(e.g., via the input device 208) feedback.

In step 410, the computing device 102 may identify the type of feedbackthat is provided by the patient 106, such as in response to a promptdisplayed in step 412 or input received as determined in step 406. Thetype of feedback may be identified based on the instructions assubmitted therewith and/or data included in the feedback. In oneinstance, the feedback may include attribute information, which mayinclude an updated symptom score for one or more of the symptoms beingtreated, notes written or documented by the patient 106, and/or thepresence or absence of one or more attributes experienced during thetreatment session. If such feedback is received, then, in step 414, thequerying module 214 of the computing device 102 may execute a query onthe memory 222 therein to store the received attribute values along withthe time at which they were submitted as part of the session data forthe treatment session. In step 416, the alerting module 216 may restartthe predetermined period of time, such that the patient 106 will not bealerted if they continue to provide regular feedback.

In another instance, the feedback may be an instruction indicating thatthe treatment session should be ended. If such feedback is received,then, in step 418, the recording of the treatment session may be endedby the computing device 102. In some embodiments, the ending of thetreatment session may include prompting the patient 106 to supply end ofsession data, which may include a rating of the session and/or medicine108, a final symptom score, an accounting of any present attributes, thesupplying of personal notes regarding the session, additional surveyquestions, etc. In step 420, the querying module 214 may execute a queryon the memory 222 of the computing device 102 to store the session datatherein. In some embodiments, step 420 may include the electronictransmission of the session data to the processing server 104 by thetransmitting device 220 of the computing device 102, where the sessiondata may be accompanied by a unique identifier associated with thepatient 106. In step 422, the display device 210 may display sessiondata to the patient 106, which may, in some instances, be analyzed(e.g., via the analytical module 218 of the computing device 102) priorto display or otherwise modified or processed, such as a reportdeveloped based thereon for presentation to the patient 106. Forinstance, the session data may be compared with other session data toprovide results to the patient 106 regarding what medicine propertieshave what effects on their symptoms or other attributes, effectivenessof delivery methods and dosages, etc.

Graphical User Interfaces

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate example graphical user interface elements ofthe computing device 102, such as may be displayed to the patient 106via the display device 210 thereof as part of the capturing andpresentation of patient feedback for treatment sessions, such as atreatment session captured using the process 400 illustrated in FIG. 4and discussed above.

FIG. 5 illustrates ten different iterations of a graphical illustration500. The graphical illustration 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 may be agraphical representation of the effect of a symptom on the patient 106based on their supplied symptom score. For instance, the display device210 of the computing device 102 may display a slider or some other inputmethod that may be used by the patient 106 so submit a symptom score,where the graphical illustration 500 corresponding to the enteredsymptom score may be displayed. For instance, a symptom score of 10 maydisplay the corresponding graphical illustration as illustrated in FIG.5. As the patient 106 adjusts their symptom score, the graphicalillustration 500 may dynamically change, such as via an animation toseamlessly change from one graphical illustration to the next. In somecases, the graphical illustration 500 may be displayed throughout thetreatment session, where the patient 106 may be able to adjust andupdate their symptom score throughout the treatment session.

FIG. 6 illustrates a chart 600 that may be presented to the patient 106during their treatment session or after a treatment session (e.g., aspart of the reporting of the treatment session or at a later time whenviewing the results of a treatment session). The chart 600 illustratesthe presence 602 of attributes throughout a treatment session, such asindicated by the patient 106 during feedback captured by the computingdevice 102. In the illustrated example, the patient 106 may take amedicine 108 during the treatment session where they are experiencingstress from the start of the treatment session, which goes away halfwaythrough, and may experience intermittent anxiety and a brief period ofnausea that is followed by hunger after the nausea dissipates. The chart600 may be used by the patient 106 as a graphical representation oftheir treatment session, which may be used by the patient 106 in futuretreatment decisions. For instance, the patient 106 may find theparticular medicine 108 useful for reducing stress, but may want to alsotake additional medicine 108 that is useful against anxiety so reducesuch effects by the particular medicine 108.

Identifying Medicine Recommendations Based on Patient Feedback

FIG. 7 illustrates a process 700 for the identification of medicine 108for recommending to a patient 106 in the system 100 based on patientfeedback submitted by the patient 106 and other patients 106 for thetreatment of one or more symptoms. It will be apparent to persons havingskill in the relevant art that, while the process 700 is described asbeing executed by the processing server 104 and the components thereof,the process 700 may also, or alternatively, be executed by the computingdevice 102 using the components thereof as discussed herein.

In step 702, the receiving device 302 of the processing server 104 mayreceive a request for a recommendation from the patient 106 via acomputing device 102 associated therewith. The request for arecommendation may include at least one symptom that the patient 106desires to be treated, as well as a unique identifier associated withthe patient 106. In some embodiments, the request may also includesession data associated with treatment sessions captured by thecomputing device 102 for the patient 106. In other embodiments, thequerying module 314 of the processing server 104 may, upon receipt ofthe request, execute a query on the account database 306 of theprocessing server 104 to identify an account profile 308 associated withthe patient 106 as identified using the unique identifier, foridentification of the session data included therein.

In step 704, the analytical module 318 of the processing server 104 mayanalyze the session data for the patient 106 to determine if any priormedicines 108 used by the patient 106 have been successful in treatingthe identified symptom(s). The determination may be based on symptomscores provided by the patient 106 during the treatment sessions where agiven medicine 108 was taken, where success may be identified viatreatment sessions where a significant change in symptom score occurred,and may also be based on other feedback (e.g., session/medicine ratings)provided by the patient 106. If no prior medicines 108 have been takenby the patient 106 that were sufficiently successful for the identifiedsymptom(s), then, in step 706, the analytical module 318 of theprocessing server 104 may identify one or more other patients that aresimilar to the patient 106 to identify a suitable medicine 108. Similarpatients may be identified based on session data (e.g., stored incorresponding account profiles 308) where the patient experiences thesame or similar effects on symptom scores and attributes, or providessimilar ratings, when taken medicines 108 as had been taken by thepatient 108. The analytical module 318 may identify such patients andmay then identify if the similar patients had taken any medicine 108that was effective for the symptom(s) identified by the patient 106.

Once a suitable medicine 108 has been identified, either based on thepatient's own session data in step 704 or the session data of similarpatients in step 706, then, in step 708, the processing server 104 mayidentify if that medicine 108 is available to the patient 106. Theavailability may be determined based on, for instance, current stock ofa preferred medicine provider 110 for the patient 106 (e.g., asindicated in their request or their corresponding account profile 308)or of medicine providers 110 in a geographic area identified by thepatient 106. If the medicine 108 is available, then, in step 714, thetransmitting device 320 of the processing server 104 may electronicallytransmit information associated with the medicine 108 to the computingdevice 102 for display to the patient 106. Such information may include,for instance, the name of the medicine 108, recommended delivery methodsand dosages, locations of medicine providers 110 where the medicine 108may be obtained, etc.

If the medicine 108 is not available, then, in step 710, the processingserver 104 may identify the characteristics of the medicine 108, whichmay include the physical and chemical properties of the medicine 108. Inone embodiment, the characteristics may be identified via the querying(e.g., by the querying module 314) of the medicine database 310 of theprocessing server 104 to identify a medicine profile 312 associated withthe medicine 108 where the characteristics may be stored therein. Inanother embodiment, the transmitting device 320 of the processing server104 may electronically transmit a characteristic request to a thirdparty, such as a medicine provider 110 or medicine manufacturer 112,requesting the characteristics for the identified medicine 108, and mayreceive the characteristics therefrom via the receiving device 302.

Once the characteristics are identified, then, in step 712, theprocessing server 104 may identify a similar medicine 108. The similarmedicine 108 may be another medicine that has medication characteristicsthat are the same or similar to the identified medicine 108 based on itsown characteristics (e.g., identified similarly, as in step 710). Insome cases, the similar medicine 108 may be another medicine 108 thatwas identified to be effective in steps 704 and/or 706 that may beobtained at the medicine provider 110. In some embodiments, a similarmedicine 108 may only be identified if it is available at an eligiblemedicine provider 110. Once the similar medicine 108 is identified, theprocess 700 may proceed to step 714 where the recommendation for thesimilar medicine 108 is transmitted to the patient 106 via the computingdevice 102. The patient 106 may then obtain the medicine 108 to treattheir desired symptom.

Exemplary Method for Capturing Patient Feedback for a Medical Treatment

FIG. 8 illustrates a method 800 for the capturing of patient feedback inreal-time for a medical treatment including the score of a symptom beingexperienced and the presence and/or absence of one or more attributes.

In step 802, a plurality of user instructions may be received by aninput device (e.g., an input device 208) interfaced with a computingdevice (e.g., the computing device 102), wherein the user instructionsindicate at least a symptom being treated, a symptom score for thesymptom being treated, and an indication of a beginning of a treatmentsession. In step 804, patient feedback may be received by the inputdevice of the computing device, wherein the patient feedback comprisesat least one of: an updated symptom score for the symptom being treatedand absence or presence of one or more of a plurality of attributes.

In step 806, a query may be executed on a memory (e.g., the memory 222)of the computing device by a querying module (e.g., the querying module314) to store, in the memory of the computing device, the receivedpatient feedback and a time in the treatment session at which therespective patient feedback was received. In step 808, the receiving ofpatient feedback and executing steps may be repeated one or more timesduring the treatment session. In step 810, a user instruction may bereceived by the input device interfaced with the computing device thatindicates an ending of the treatment session. As part of the method 800,an alerting module (e.g., the alerting module 216) of the computingdevice 102 may be configured to alert a user (e.g., the patient 106) ofthe computing device for input of patient feedback after a predeterminedperiod of time has elapsed following receipt of patient feedback withouta subsequent receipt of patient feedback.

In one embodiment, the plurality of user instructions may furtherinclude a medication delivery method, and the predetermined period oftime may be based on the medication delivery method. In someembodiments, the alert may be delivered using at least one of: an audioemitting device interfaced with the computing device configured to emitan audio signal and a display device (e.g., the display device 210)interfaced with the computing device configured to display anotification message.

In one embodiment, the method 800 may further include displaying, by adisplay device interfaced with the computing device, a scale associatedwith the symptom score for use by the user of the computing device toinput patient feedback including updated symptom scores. In a furtherembodiment, the scale may incorporate a slider and may be accompanied bya graphical display configured to update based on the updated symptomscore corresponding to a position of the slider.

In some embodiments, the method 800 may also include displaying, by adisplay device interfaced with the computing device, a summary of thetreatment session after the ending of the treatment session, wherein thesummary includes a visual indication of the absence and presence of theplurality of attributes during the treatment session based on therespective patient feedback. In a further embodiment, the visualindication may be displayed along a time scale spanning the treatmentsession and displays only attributes for which patient feedback wasreceived. In one embodiment, the plurality of user instructions mayfurther include at least one of: medication type, medication amount,dosage amount, concentration, strain, batch, delivery method,administration time, and chemical data.

Computer System Architecture

FIG. 9 illustrates a computer system 900 in which embodiments of thepresent disclosure, or portions thereof, may be implemented ascomputer-readable code. For example, the computing device 102 andprocessing server 104 of FIG. 1 may be implemented in the computersystem 900 using hardware and non-transitory computer readable mediahaving specifically configured instructions stored thereon, and may beimplemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems.Hardware, software, or any combination thereof may embody modules andcomponents used to implement the methods of FIGS. 4, 7, and 8.

If programmable logic is used, such logic may execute on a commerciallyavailable processing platform that has been specially configured tobecome a specific purpose computer or a special purpose device (e.g.,programmable logic array, application-specific integrated circuit, etc.)configured to perform the functions discussed herein. A person havingordinary skill in the art may appreciate that embodiments of thedisclosed subject matter can be practiced with various computer systemconfigurations, including multi-core multiprocessor systems,minicomputers, mainframe computers, computers linked or clustered withdistributed functions, as well as pervasive or miniature computers thatmay be embedded into virtually any device, provided they arespecifically configured to perform the disclosed functions. Forinstance, at least one processor device and a memory may be used toimplement the above described embodiments.

A processor unit or device as discussed herein may be a singleprocessor, a plurality of processors, or combinations thereof. Processordevices may have one or more processor “cores.” The terms “computerprogram medium,” “non-transitory computer readable medium,” and“computer usable medium” as discussed herein are used to generally referto tangible media such as a removable storage unit 918, a removablestorage unit 922, and a hard disk installed in hard disk drive 912.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in terms ofthis example computer system 900. After reading this description, itwill become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art how toimplement the present disclosure using other computer systems and/orcomputer architectures. Although operations may be described as asequential process, some of the operations may in fact be performed inparallel, concurrently, and/or in a distributed environment, and withprogram code stored locally or remotely for access by single ormulti-processor machines. In addition, in some embodiments the order ofoperations may be rearranged without departing from the spirit of thedisclosed subject matter.

Processor device 904 may be a special purpose or a general purposeprocessor device specifically configured to perform the functionsdiscussed herein. The processor device 904 may be connected to acommunications infrastructure 906, such as a bus, message queue,network, multi-core message-passing scheme, etc. The network may be anynetwork suitable for performing the functions as disclosed herein andmay include a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), awireless network (e.g., WiFi), a mobile communication network, asatellite network, the Internet, fiber optic, coaxial cable, infrared,radio frequency (RF), or any combination thereof. Other suitable networktypes and configurations will be apparent to persons having skill in therelevant art. The computer system 900 may also include a main memory 908(e.g., random access memory, read-only memory, etc.), and may alsoinclude a secondary memory 910. The secondary memory 910 may include thehard disk drive 912 and a removable storage drive 914, such as a floppydisk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a flashmemory, etc.

The removable storage drive 914 may read from and/or write to theremovable storage unit 918 in a well-known manner. The removable storageunit 918 may include a removable storage media that may be read by andwritten to by the removable storage drive 914. For example, if theremovable storage drive 914 is a floppy disk drive or universal serialbus port, the removable storage unit 918 may be a floppy disk orportable flash drive, respectively. In one embodiment, the removablestorage unit 918 may be non-transitory computer readable recordingmedia.

In some embodiments, the secondary memory 910 may include alternativemeans for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loadedinto the computer system 900, for example, the removable storage unit922 and an interface 920. Examples of such means may include a programcartridge and cartridge interface (e.g., as found in video gamesystems), a removable memory chip (e.g., EEPROM, PROM, etc.) andassociated socket, and other removable storage units 922 and interfaces920 as will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant art.

Data stored in the computer system 900 (e.g., in the main memory 908and/or the secondary memory 910) may be stored on any type of suitablecomputer readable media, such as optical storage (e.g., a compact disc,digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.) or magnetic tape storage(e.g., a hard disk drive). The data may be configured in any type ofsuitable database configuration, such as a relational database, astructured query language (SQL) database, a distributed database, anobject database, etc. Suitable configurations and storage types will beapparent to persons having skill in the relevant art.

The computer system 900 may also include a communications interface 924.The communications interface 924 may be configured to allow software anddata to be transferred between the computer system 900 and externaldevices. Exemplary communications interfaces 924 may include a modem, anetwork interface (e.g., an Ethernet card), a communications port, aPCMCIA slot and card, etc. Software and data transferred via thecommunications interface 924 may be in the form of signals, which may beelectronic, electromagnetic, optical, or other signals as will beapparent to persons having skill in the relevant art. The signals maytravel via a communications path 926, which may be configured to carrythe signals and may be implemented using wire, cable, fiber optics, aphone line, a cellular phone link, a radio frequency link, etc.

The computer system 900 may further include a display interface 902. Thedisplay interface 902 may be configured to allow data to be transferredbetween the computer system 900 and external display 930. Exemplarydisplay interfaces 902 may include high-definition multimedia interface(HDMI), digital visual interface (DVI), video graphics array (VGA), etc.The display 930 may be any suitable type of display for displaying datatransmitted via the display interface 902 of the computer system 900,including a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, liquid crystal display(LCD), light-emitting diode (LED) display, capacitive touch display,thin-film transistor (TFT) display, etc.

Computer program medium and computer usable medium may refer tomemories, such as the main memory 908 and secondary memory 910, whichmay be memory semiconductors (e.g., DRAMs, etc.). These computer programproducts may be means for providing software to the computer system 900.Computer programs (e.g., computer control logic) may be stored in themain memory 908 and/or the secondary memory 910. Computer programs mayalso be received via the communications interface 924. Such computerprograms, when executed, may enable computer system 900 to implement thepresent methods as discussed herein. In particular, the computerprograms, when executed, may enable processor device 904 to implementthe methods illustrated by FIGS. 4, 7, and 8, as discussed herein.Accordingly, such computer programs may represent controllers of thecomputer system 900. Where the present disclosure is implemented usingsoftware, the software may be stored in a computer program product andloaded into the computer system 900 using the removable storage drive914, interface 920, and hard disk drive 912, or communications interface924.

The processor device 904 may comprise one or more modules or enginesconfigured to perform the functions of the computer system 900. Each ofthe modules or engines may be implemented using hardware and, in someinstances, may also utilize software, such as corresponding to programcode and/or programs stored in the main memory 908 or secondary memory910. In such instances, program code may be compiled by the processordevice 904 (e.g., by a compiling module or engine) prior to execution bythe hardware of the computer system 900. For example, the program codemay be source code written in a programming language that is translatedinto a lower level language, such as assembly language or machine code,for execution by the processor device 904 and/or any additional hardwarecomponents of the computer system 900. The process of compiling mayinclude the use of lexical analysis, preprocessing, parsing, semanticanalysis, syntax-directed translation, code generation, codeoptimization, and any other techniques that may be suitable fortranslation of program code into a lower level language suitable forcontrolling the computer system 900 to perform the functions disclosedherein. It will be apparent to persons having skill in the relevant artthat such processes result in the computer system 900 being a speciallyconfigured computer system 900 uniquely programmed to perform thefunctions discussed above.

Techniques consistent with the present disclosure provide, among otherfeatures, systems and methods for capturing patient feedback for amedical treatment. While various exemplary embodiments of the disclosedsystem and method have been described above it should be understood thatthey have been presented for purposes of example only, not limitations.It is not exhaustive and does not limit the disclosure to the preciseform disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teachings or may be acquired from practicing of thedisclosure, without departing from the breadth or scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for capturing user feedback, comprising:receiving, by an input device interfaced with a computing processor, aplurality of user instructions indicating (i) a symptom, condition orailment, (ii) a score associated with at least one of the symptom,condition or ailment, and (iii) an indication of a session foraddressing at least one of the symptom, condition or ailment; receiving,by the input device interfaced with the computing processor, userfeedback comprising at least one of: an updated score and absence orpresence of attributes; executing, by a querying module of the computingprocessor, a query on at least one of a memory internal to the computingprocessor and external to the computing processor to store, the receiveduser feedback; repeating the receiving of user feedback and executingsteps.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by theinput device interfaced with the computing processor, a user instructionindicating an ending of the session; alerting, by the computingprocessor, the user for input of user feedback after a predeterminedperiod of time has elapsed following receipt of the user feedbackwithout a subsequent receipt of user feedback; and displaying, by adisplay interfaced with the computing processor, a scale associated withthe score for use by the user of the computing processor to input userfeedback including updated scores, wherein the scale incorporates agraphic user interface and is accompanied by a graphical displayconfigured to update based on the updated score corresponding to a valueof the graphic user interface.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of user instructions further includes a product deliverymethod, and the predetermined period of time is based on the productdelivery method.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert isdelivered using at least one of: an audio emitting device configured toemit an audio signal and a display configured to display a message. 5.The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying, by a displayinterfaced with the computing processor, a summary of the session afterthe ending of the session, wherein the summary includes a visual and/orwritten indication of the absence and presence of the plurality ofattributes during the session based on the respective user feedback. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein the visual and/or written indication isdisplayed and only attributes are displayed for which user feedback wasreceived.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of userinstructions further includes at least one of: product type, productamount, dosage amount, concentration, batch, delivery method,administration time, and chemical data.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein the plurality of user instructions further includes at least oneof: product type, product amount and dosage amount.
 9. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of user instructions further includes atleast one of: concentration, batch and chemical data.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of user instructions further includes atleast one of: delivery method and administration time.
 11. A system forcapturing user feedback, comprising: a computing processor configuredto: receive a plurality of user instructions indicating (i) a symptom,condition or ailment, (ii) a score associated with the symptom,condition or ailment, and (iii) an indication of a session for treatingthe symptom, condition or ailment, and receive user feedback comprisingat least one of: an updated score and absence or presence of attributes;execute a query on at least one of a memory internal to the computingprocessor and external to the computing processor to store the receiveduser feedback, repeat the receiving of user feedback and execution ofthe query.
 12. The system of claim 11, further comprising: receive auser instruction indicating an ending of the session, and alert the userfor input of user feedback after a predetermined period of time haselapsed following receipt of the user feedback without a subsequentreceipt of user feedback; and a display interfaced with the computingprocessor configured to display a scale associated with the score foruse by the user of the computing processor to input user feedbackincluding updated scores, wherein the scale incorporates a graphic userinterface and is accompanied by a graphical display configured to updatebased on the updated score corresponding to a value of the graphic userinterface.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of userinstructions further includes a product delivery method, and thepredetermined period of time is based on the product delivery method.14. The system of claim 11, wherein the computing processing isconfigured to alert the user using at least one of: an audio emittingdevice configured to emit an audio signal and a display configured todisplay a message.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the display isconfigured to display a summary of the session after the ending of thesession, wherein the summary includes a visual and/or written indicationof the absence and presence of the plurality of attributes during thesession based on the respective user feedback.
 16. The system of claim15, wherein the visual and/or written indication is displayed and onlyattributes are displayed for which user feedback was received.
 17. Thesystem of claim 11, wherein the plurality of user instructions furtherincludes at least one of: product type, product amount, dosage amount,concentration, batch, delivery method, administration time, and chemicaldata.
 18. The system of claim 11, wherein the plurality of userinstructions further includes at least one of: product type, productamount, and dosage amount.
 19. The system of claim 11, wherein theplurality of user instructions further includes at least one of:concentration, batch, and chemical data.
 20. The system of claim 11,wherein the plurality of user instructions further includes at least oneof: delivery method and administration time.